What a Star headline. Bloggers are no longer lonely. Everyone is reading us:
- "Council uproar sparked by blog"
Gee, I thought I had done something right again! I figured I was being slammed for my "Betrayal Blog." Hrumph...darn, no such luck. It was about Councillor Haberstadt's BLOG and the border. He gets front page with his BLOG and I only get a Page 2 story.
I have to do something that might just provoke some controversy to get my reputation back. How about this:
- I hear that in camera meetings are a disaster with Councillors getting more and more upset at the lack of leadership and lack of information.
- Some on Council are claiming, that contrary to his protestations to Gord Henderson, it looks more and more that the Councillor formerly known as Councillor Budget is lining himself up to run for Mayor. Just watch how he votes on issues. He is being viewed negatively by some of his colleagues!
- I also hear that Councillor Gignac's budget calculator broke down. I am pretty nervous as she is viewed as one of "the crusaders for fiscal responsibility." According to the Star,"The two-year upgrade and restoration of the University Avenue tunnel ventilation building wrapped up about $2 million under its $20-million budget, city officials announced Tuesday.
Many people have the perception that the city of Windsor is always over-budget, said Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac.
"This is a great achievement."
Except the original cost was $13M so it is $5M over-budget! Heaven help us if she says that the East End arena will come in under budget
Nawwwwwww, those stories are not big enough. Let's do something really juicy. I got it. Here it is folks. What you all have been waiting for. The Francis interview on CKLW. Watch how he twists and turns and makes a so-called non-issue that has been in the Star for days now, his BIG issue to slam down any Councillor who dares open his mouth.
I must admit I have no idea why the CKLW show needs interviewers....they just ask a question and then let Eddie ramble for as long as he wants. On some shows, I swear it seems he is reading from a script he has prepared or had prepared for him. They never ask a tough question or do any follow-up. So I will have to do it for them. I just wish that Eddie would slow down when he speaks. He makes transcription difficult
Interview with Mayor Eddie Francis
CKLW AM800
May 29, 2007
Host (1): Well lets talk about the big, the big story of the morning as people are hearing on AM800, some heated words between a couple of City Councillors last night
Host (2) Yeah, well specifically Councillor Halberstadt walking out of the in-camera meeting yesterday and as we understand it he was accused behind closed doors of leaking confidential information on his internet BLOG and he said he absolutely did not leak any information. Did he? [Hmmm I wonder, if this story was leaked, who leaked this story of what happened in camera and what was said]
Mayor Francis: Yeah of all the issues that we have this is the one that I guess that I have to deal with today [You did NOT have to do so. Are you ever lucky Mayor so no one can ask you about how you mishandled the Capitol file or why you manipulated the agenda or what the Tunnel deal is all about. Let's spend the whole show on something that Eddie claimed is insignificant]
And with regards to this particular issue it really goes to the border and on the border issue it is so sensitive in that members of City Council are wanting to deliver the best possible solution and there is a lot of special interests and there are people, third party, that want to see the City fail because they want to deliver a cheap solution. [Who are these people, DRIC, the Bridge Co., both. Eddie's newest, most favourite word is "cheap." Can't you just see him sneering in the mirror in the Condo he rents as he practises saying the word.]
So members of City Council are very cognizant of their responsibility and their obligations and they are consistently ensuring that they don't take any mis-steps in this process because they want to make sure that they deliver the best solution for the residents of the City. [How can they make any mis-steps when he does not tell them everything that goes on. OR rather, how can they NOT make mis-stps since it appears that they do not have full information]
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and the last thing that we want to do is allow some cheap solution to be introduced that will forever prejudice our right to a better quality of life. [There is his other bestest word "quality." If Eddie knows that DRIC will put forward the at-grade solution say it or will he take credit for any tunnelling. Eddie just killed any chance for a good solution for Windsor and for anything to be done soon]
Having said that, members of Council by resolution have authorized myself to be the only person to be the lead spokesperson on the border as well as the lead negotiator on the border. And implied in that is that all members of City Council through resolution will certainly allow myself to act in the best interests of the corp. and follow their instructions and their directions. [The Motion did not talk about negotiator..."with respect to communications on the border matter, to allow the Mayor to continue to be the voice of Council on this matter." if he is the lead negotiator, I'd like to know what his instructions from Council are, say on the Tunnel]
Each and every one of them would like to speak upon the border, each and every one of them have different opinions on the border, [What???? There is no unity??? It's all a false front!!!] but given the nature of these issues and the significance of these issues, each and every one of them has certainly through resolution put their confidence in the whole, the collective whole, the collective majority. [Obviously not!]
Last night there was an issue that was raised as we were discussing the border as it relates to Councillor Halberstadt and the issue was quickly dismissed. It was raised by one Councillor to Councillor Halberstadt then we just moved on. [Wow, if it was that insignificant, why is the whole interview show devoted to it? I assume that it must serve some purpose for Eddie to spend so much time on something so meaningless.]
And the issue was if we all agree to a resolution, if we all agree to a course of action and you vote for that course of action, implied in that is that you are going to support that course of action. So the argument, or the issue that was raised was - you voted for one person to be a spokesperson, you voted for us to be as a collective moving on this file, why is that you are going in writing, why is it that you are going and saying something that is contrary? [HUH. Where was the Motion on moving forward as a collective? Is that another in camera Motion that is still hidden from view? Alan was not acting as spokesperson for the City but doing his duty as a Ward Councillor by telling constituents and others what is going on at Council. That is still his job or has that been removed too]
And that is an issue that we deal with all the time, not just this Council but any Council. When a Council passes a resolution you expect the Councillors to abide by that resolution because it's not what's good for you it's what is good for the entire City and if 6 or 7 or 10 members of Councillors vote one way, you expect that, you can say that you disagree with it, but don' t vote for something and then go the next day and take a different position when you have voted for something. If you disagree with something, then put your hand up. [Sheeeeesh Eddie forgot to invoke the Procedural Bylaw...a perfect opportunity to do so]
Host: At that time?
Mayor Francis: At that time, be counted against it but don 't vote for something and the next day or the next week change your mind and say well I didn't vote that way when you didn't. [I got lost on this one!]
I think that is what the issue is but I think that when you really look at the issue it is really about the underlying issue is that members of City Council do not want to take a mis-step on this file. [No the underlying issue is Eddie's attempt to completely control everything! I don't even remember the "Voice of Council" Motion being on the agenda. Now THAT would be a good issue for an integrity Commissioner to look at!]
They are, and we are engaged in a very aggressive process right now where we have senior orders of government that want to impose a cheap solution on us. We have private interests that want to see their position is advanced and all those proposals compromise the City's position. [It is not a cheap solution----Eddie has made the tunnel a phony issue and he is now caught on it! He is the one who said the tunnel is the starting point and gave away the City's strategy. He undercut himself and now he is flipflopping again. Oh and another Ambassador Bridge Co. insult for good measure]
And all of those proposals will saddle the City with a position that is unacceptable so members of City Council are very astutely, very prudently wanting to make sure that we follow the best course of action and that we do not sell out the City and that we do not prejudice the City's interest. [Sell out, prejudice, astutely, prudently, best--all in one sentence too]
And when one Councillor or a group of Councillors or others seem to say one thing by resolution, do something else, members of City Council 's frustration is growing in that regard. [Just like when Council says something in a Resolution about a tunnel and reverses themselves in private. Now Eddie knows how Mike Hurst felt as Mayor and why people were furious at him.]
Host: OK so did he leak any information?
Mayor Francis: Well I think the issue is that on one of his, on one of his writings, Councillor Halberstadt indicated that the City was looking to compromise its position. I noticed that he's since then changed that but the issue is that some Councillors have taken some serious, serious issue with the fact that he would characterize that the City is prepared to compromise. [Good now Eddie has pinned himself down to a tunnel from Highway 401 to the border. Now he has made himself totally irrelevant. Who talked about capitulating---Eddie with his starting point remark!]
I can assure you, and anyone that knows the Council and that knows our position on this file. We have been consistent and we are not prepared to compromise on anything and we want the best solution for the City. [What IS the City's postion now? If he wants the best solution, why isn't he working with the Bridge Co.?]
Host: All right, Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis. Thank you very much, we appreciate your time.
Hmmmmmm. Well if you are NOT interested in that story how about this one from Chris Schnurr's BLOG:
Marko Paranosic, Gridlock Sam's right hand man who left Sam a year ago, denounces Mayor Eddie Francis saying
- "I, and others, had been led on and that there would be no action or follow-through on the Schwartz Report or any type of proactive City endeavours....I wasn’t going to waste my engineering career waiting and waiting for ...border work to magically appear....Without that public consultation and process transparency the public is left to trust their representatives, whether they are elected or bureaucratic, to bring their concerns and issues to the table. And so we are left with the trust issue; can the public trust that their representatives are not carrying alternative agendas into meetings, trust that they are not posturing for political gain and trust that they are competent to address the issues at hand...you may include me in the camp that disagrees with the continued in-camera secrecy and Solicitor-Client privilege that shrouds engineering work being done by the city on this file.
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